Amanda Zurawski is an accidental activist. A tech professional from Texas whose personal medical nightmare thrust her into the national spotlight, Zurawski never intended to become the face of America’s reproductive rights movement. Yet in independent theatres across the country, her documentary chronicling her near-fatal experience under Texas’s abortion ban has left audiences speechless, prompting thoughtful discussions and quiet reflection about healthcare access and personal freedoms in post-screening conversations.
Zurawski herself has been present for many of these post-screening Q&As. Traveling the length and breadth of the country, with an unwavering determination as she fields questions about the medical ordeal that nearly cost her life when she was denied care for a non-viable pregnancy.
The Accidental Activist Turned TIME Woman of the Year
“The most impactful storytelling happens where we can’t see it,” Zurawski tells me over video chat from her car in Indianapolis. I’m in New York watching her on-screen as she travels between screening venues for her documentary “Zurawski v. Texas,” her parents visible in the back seat- a window into the family support system that she tells me has both anchored and been tested by her journey into public advocacy.
Yet, for Zurawski, advocacy always starts at home. “It’s what people are doing around their kitchen tables, in their church communities, at their schools, with their friends and families that really matter,” she says. Her impact hasn’t gone unnoticed. Last month, she was named as a TIME Woman of the Year, joining a prestigious roster of global changemakers.
Yet, with her measured tone and thoughtful responses, Zurawski seems an unlikely revolutionary. She never intended to become the face of a movement. But following the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, she became one of the first women to document her traumatic experience under Texas’s abortion ban publicly. This medical nightmare nearly cost her life and left her fertility compromised.
Through the power of her documentary, her own story has traveled the globe. From New York to Athens, London to Prague, what began as personal testimony has evolved into something far more significant- a masterclass in modern activism that’s redefining advocacy in post-Roe America.
The Battle for Reproductive Rights-Zurawski v Texas
‘Zurawski v Texas,’ directed by Maisie Crow and Abbie Perrault, documents the devastating human impact of Texas’s restrictive abortion laws on women’s health and autonomy. The film intimately follows Zurawski, who was denied an abortion during severe pregnancy complications leading to life-threatening sepsis and permanent reproductive harm. Zurawski, joined by other women with similar experiences and represented by attorney Molly Duane of the Center for Reproductive Rights, challenged Texas’s vague “medical emergency” exceptions. The documentary captures their brief victory when a district court clarified that exceptions should include risks of infection or fertility loss, only to face subsequent heartbreak as the Texas Supreme Court overturned that ruling, reaffirming legal ambiguity and placing women’s health in continued jeopardy. Executive produced by Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, and Jennifer Lawrence, the film provides a sobering yet essential perspective on the urgent fight for reproductive rights.
Navigating the New Landscape
Now, two months into Donald Trump’s second term, with a political landscape that presents formidable challenges to reproductive rights advocates, I asked Zurawski about her feelings on the road ahead. She tells me she refuses to surrender to despair. “Right now, things feel quite scary and dark,” she acknowledges with characteristic candor. “But we can’t give up. We have to stay engaged. We must keep fighting because things can get worse—and they will get worse if we let them.”
This resilience comes at a considerable personal cost. “When I started speaking out, I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into,” she admits. “I was one of the very first patients to share my story. I truly did not know what I was signing up for.” Zurawski has channeled this hard-won experience into her work with ‘Abortion in America,’ co-founded by the late Cecile Richards, and launched in November 2024 that collects and amplifies women’s stories nationwide.
Reproductive Rights: Storytelling as Activism
For those women new to this fight and contemplating sharing their abortion stories today, Zurawski offers hard-learned wisdom- that effective advocacy requires meeting people where they are. “Think about the impacts it’s going to have on your family—both your immediate family, but also your parents, siblings, nieces and nephews, friends—and really consider what that could do to your relationships with the people you care about, “ she says. ”But we need to remember this is not just a women’s issue,” she emphasizes, “this is an issue for men. It’s an issue for families. This touches everyone.”
Reproductive Rights: The Inequity Equation
The documentary featuring Zurawski’s story also highlights how abortion restrictions disproportionately impact women with fewer economic resources. While some plaintiffs in the legal case could afford to travel out of state for care, others faced prohibitive financial barriers.
“You have to pay for plane tickets, for childcare if you have other children, and you need a job where you can take time off work,” Zurawski explains. “For folks in more precarious financial positions, that’s simply not feasible.” These bans also disproportionately affect women of color, which Zurawski notes is why fewer women of color publicly share their stories.
Redefining Success in Advocacy
Despite these challenges, Zurawski sees hope in grassroots movements across the country. “Every time I do a speaking engagement, the room is full of people who continue to have hope and are mobilizing, organizing, and acting in their communities.” This represents a strategic shift. While national politics remain important, Zurawski believes the most transformative conversations happen in intimate settings, where personal connections can change hearts and minds in ways that social media debates cannot.
Her call for diverse representation in leadership comes from firsthand experience with systemic limitations. “People want to see themselves reflected in their elected officials and business leaders,” she says, noting the disconnect between America’s changing demographics and power structures.
Reproductive Rights: The Business of Change
Two years after Dobbs, the documentary capturing Zurawski’s story continues seeking broader distribution. Through innovative platforms like Jolt, which collects viewer data to strengthen pitches to streaming services, the production team works to amplify these crucial voices while screenings continue worldwide. Zurawski’s journey offers valuable insights into effective communication on divisive issues and the power of authentic storytelling to drive change.
As our conversation concludes, Zurawski tells me she is pulling up to her next screening. One of many to come, as tomorrow and the day after will bring another audience and another opportunity to create that permission structure for others to speak out in this battle for reproductive rights. In boardrooms, living rooms, classrooms, and around kitchen tables across America, these stories will continue—and with them, she aims to inspire a blueprint for a new kind of advocacy.